Lockdown
by Inuyuke
Summary: Being locked in the ghost zone sucks. Being locked in the ghost zone by one's own parents sucks even harder. Escaping the ghost zone, only to find out one of your mortal enemies has taken over? That takes the cake. Follow Danny Fenton as he struggles against powers far greater than his own, along with new, unstable abilities.
1. Chapter 1

Could you make a Danny Phantom story where Danny's parents trap him in the Ghost Zone and when he returns he finds out Vlad has enslaved Amity Park?

-t-rex989

**A/N:** GUYS MY FIRST CHALLENGE.

Okay t-rex buddy I'mma do my best here.

* * *

It wasn't right. Danny frowned, curling his legs closer to his body to give him more velocity as he kicks off against a rock, hurdling headfirst towards what should be the Fenton Portal to home.

But it was locked.

Has been locked for—what? Six months? Maybe even more, how could you tell when night blended into day in a land where there was no sun and no moon? As he slammed his shoulder into the door again, he finally gave up, sliding down the slightly faded metal. "Damn it, guys…" He pounded his fist against the door, his eyes tightly closed. "Why did you do it?"

He'd come home late from school one day after fighting off Skulker, he was banged up and tired. All he had wanted was a nice hot shower and to go to bed, but something was off. There was a strange van parked outside his home, and when he'd walked in his mother had just looked at him and shaken her head.

Confused, he headed upstairs only to find that his room had not only been disturbed but utterly _cleaned out. _ There was nothing 'him' left in it. The walls were bare, his bed, his dresser, and his computer, all gone. His closet completely cleaned and the coat hangers neatly placed to one side. Swallowing nervously, he came back downstairs to his parents silently standing in the middle of the living room, faces hard as stone.

"Mom? Dad?" He'd asked, cautiously stepping off the stairs and frowning. "What's going on guys? What happened to my room?"

Jack frowned, his hand behind his back as he took a cautious step forward. "Danny, son…" he started, his tone of voice utterly serious. Danny swallowed nervously, looking up at his Dad.

"Dad…? What's going on?"

"We know." Danny's heart leaped into his throat and he felt like he was going to be sick. They knew? They knew what? "We know you're Phantom, Danny." Maddie said quietly from behind Jack.

Danny shook his head, putting on an uneasy smile. "Haha- um, what? Nah, you guys are so crazy…" he rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to show how bruised he was.

Maddie shook her head and motioned to the television, a clip of him turning into Phantom playing over and over. "We know, Danny." She repeated, her voice wavering but her face remaining impassive.

Danny panicked. "Mom, Dad, I—I didn't mean to keep it from you for so long I just—I please…" stepping forward and reaching a hand out, desperate for them to tell him that it was okay. "Please don't be mad…"

"Danny…" Maddie started, pulling something out from behind her own back, stepping forward. She held something small and square, a small red light bulb sticking out of the top of it, a small needle sticking out one side. "Just let me take a blood sample…"

He swallowed, he knew what blood samples meant, he knew that if she tested his blood, she'd see how utterly _inhuman_ he was. He didn't want that. They were scared enough already. He could sense the fear, it rolled off of him in waves and he tried not to latch onto it, feed from it and make it stronger by scaring them. He'd discovered lately that human emotions played a vital role in the strength of his ghost powers. It revolted him, but it was just another fact he had to deal with. At the very least, he could sense emotions and he knew when to back off.

His eyes never left his mothers' as she stepped forward and took his arm by his wrist, pulling his hand up. He didn't protest; he didn't pull away; he just met her clear eyes with his own as the needle pierced his skin and his blood flowed out.

He finally broke eye contact as the light on Maddie's machine lit up, a harsh beeping emanating from the small machine and Maddie looked back at her husband with sad eyes.

Jack nodded, coming forward as Maddie stepped back, the object behind his back coming into view, revealing it to be a sizable gun, and this time, his aim wasn't off.

Danny's eyes widened with panic and he felt the rings start around his waist. His mother's eyes glancing down to them but his father's never wavered. Even before Danny's transformation was complete, Jack had fired the gun, his aim true. A small bullet pierced Danny's shoulder, the bolt sending an electric shock through his body, and he had collapsed, convulsing, his transformation rings dissipating into the air.

He looked up at his parents through bleary eyes, his vision doubled and blurred as his father's large hand reached for him.

The next thing he knew, he was floating, staring up at the green haze of the ghost zone.

* * *

He'd tried to get help; he had tried hard to go to what few allies he had in the ghost zone, but it seemed that his parents had given his computer over to the Guys in White. His allies' homes were ransacked and they were distraught. Unable to help him. The only one he hadn't been able to check was Clockwork's. But he knew he'd be unable to access that realm unless the Master of Time wished to see him.

And for some strange reason, Vlad's portal wasn't there anymore. No giant football, no hole in the dimension, nothing.

So there was nothing left to do but float. And he'd stayed near the portal. Hoping against hope that maybe the portal would open and he'd be allowed back inside; be allowed back in his home.

He was cold, he was hungry and he was lonely. He missed his friends, and despite their betrayal, he missed his family.

"I don't know what I did." He mused to himself, not for the first time. "To make you guys hate me like this." The only upside to this he supposed was the fact that he could float here in his ghost form and not die. His ghostly energy fed off of the abundance of power in the Zone, feeding it and converting it into food for his human form.

He still didn't want to see what his human form looked like after however long he'd been trapped here, though. He was sure it didn't look anything like he did when he entered, he was sure he'd wasted away to almost nothing.

He needed to find a way out of there and the sooner the better.

* * *

What was that? Danny opened one eye, glancing in the direction the small disturbance had come from. He had felt something brush past him. Something like—air? Frowning, he slowly floated towards the sensation, gasping as he suddenly spots Kitty, looking odd without Johnny Thirteen and Shadow by her side. She glanced around before ducking into a small, weak looking portal. Danny knew the slightly damp smell of rain and he took the chance while it was available; he shot at full speed towards the portal, keeping his eyes on the ever shrinking area.

_Come on, come on…_ Danny bit his lip as he curled himself into a ball, barrelling through the portal and hitting the ground, bouncing once before rolling, feeling the rain soak into the thin material of his jumpsuit.

Despite the pain and discomfort, Danny started to chuckle, his eyes closed. "I did it." He opened his eyes, almost hurting with the beauty of the gray sky. "I'm home." His chuckling escalated to full-blown hysterical laughter. "I'm _home!"_

"Yer sure ya wanna celebrate that?"

Danny paused in his laughter, using a finger to wipe away tears of joy before propping himself up on his right arm, looking at the owner of the voice. "Excuse me?" The man he was facing was old, his hair sticking up in every direction, his beard long but not quite as long as Clockwork's ancient form's beard. His eyes were slightly pushed out, giving him a buggy, sickly appearance, and the slight glimmer of madness danced in their depths.

"I _said,_ are ye sure ye wanna celebrate bein' home?" His voice was thick, as if he'd been drinking, and grating pebbles scraping against each other. "It aint exactly a good place t'be."

Danny frowned, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Well…I guess the ghosts must have become more abundant with my absence. I mean, Danny Phantom disappears right?"

The man stared at Danny before rocking back on his heels in hysterical laughter. "Yer—ye think yer Danny Phantom? _THE_ Danny Phantom? That's hooey!" The man leaned over, spitting to the side and Danny cringed. "Danny Phantom abandoned us near abouts a year ago. An' don' go questing fer him. Ye'll be thrown in the Mines if ye do."

"Well, um." Danny frowned. "Alright." Finally he looked around. The sky wasn't the only thing that appeared to be gray. The buildings around this- surprisingly graveyard- were decrepit and falling apart, not even from neglect. They appeared to have been broken by some powerful force.

He hadn't noticed it before, having grown used to its constant presence desensitizing him, but his ghost zone was going off frequently, and he sensed a rather large congregation of ghosts, along with one very powerful, very familiar signature. "Well… this is odd." Standing, he brushed the dirt off of himself, looking at the old man. "You mentioned something called 'The Mines'. I don't remember there being mines in Amity."

"Everyone's heard of the Mines, boy." The man said, "If yer not workin' in them, yer dead. Or looby like me." He cackled, sitting back on a gravestone, disturbing a powdering of dirt that fell against his bare ankles. "There aint no one in the state- hell, in the _country_ who aint heard of the Mines, kid."

Danny shook his head. "Well, I haven't. So either you can explain them to me, or I'll be on my way, I want to try to find my family." _If they still want me. _The old man paused before glancing at Danny.

"I can do one better. I'll take you to the entrance of the Mines."

* * *

Paul—Danny learned the crazy coots name after quietly asking—led Danny through Amity into the lower income areas. He was immensely confused by the lack of human life, and he floated along silently after Paul. The old man hadn't noticed – or hadn't been bothered by—the fact that he was in ghost form.

"And so I says to the girl I says 'if ye wanna piece o'me ye gotta'- ey, Kid, ye listening?" Paul glanced up at him with one of his buggy little eyes narrowed.

"Huh? Oh yeah-yeah, I'm listening." Danny muttered when in fact he wasn't. Paul had a tendency to repeat stories, and this particular one seemed to be his favorite to repeat so far. "I'm just…trying to remember what used to be around here."

"Around here?" The old man paused, looking around. "Houses and warehouses. That kinda thing, mostly apartments, I'd guess." He clacked his teeth together as he walked, a tick he had for whatever reason. "Don't matter now. There's just the Mine now."

Danny nodded silently, following Paul as he continued down the street, a slight skip in his step as if the day were a bright and sunny spring day instead of the gloomy mid-fall day it actually was.

"There!" he climbed on top of a hill overlooking the highway. As he floated to the top of it, he saw that there was no more highway. There was just a huge, gaping hole in the ground. There was such a congregation of ghosts that Danny's ghost sense was a constant stream of mist and he started to shake with the cold flowing through his body. He swallowed as he saw hundreds of people walking in a line into the mine, with a few coming out in a line parallel to the first.

They were like ants into an ant hill for a busy day of work, except that these were not willing workers. "Who…" Danny began and found he had to swallow to wet his dry throat. "Whose done this?"

Paul was silent, watching the people though Danny was sure that the old man could barely see them. He himself could make them out with his advanced ghost senses, but an old human? He doubted that he could make out any detailing.

Danny watched, his jaw clenched as he noticed a woman stumble, and the ghosts guards attention turn to her. He braced himself, turning invisible and starting forward.

"I wouldn't do that, kid…" Paul's warning went unheeded as Danny began to fly full tilt towards the line of humans as the woman who stumbled lost her balance and fell, guards immediately springing and raising their night sticks to beat her.

_Damn it…_ Danny thought as he barreled full speed forward, wincing as the guards begin to beat the helpless woman. He reached her before they had beaten her too badly, though, and for that he was thankful as he stood over her, erecting a ghost shield, deflecting the next few hits. "Stop!"

* * *

Up on the hill, crazy old Paul watched with solemn eyes before shaking his head as Danny's shield was easily overpowered, the guards battling Danny to the ground without breaking a sweat and knocking the boy out. He sighed while two picked him up, attaching cuffs to him and drag him away.

"Daniel, you really do like to choose the hardest paths, don't you?" His voice was no longer old and gravelly, his eyes shining with a shine of wisdom instead of insanity.

His form flickered and a staff materialized in the air. A purple robe covered him now, and his ghostly tail fluttered behind him. A clock ticked in his chest, and his old, red eyes tilted in sadness. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but I had to do this. You chose this. Now you have to fix it."

Clockwork watched the scene with a certain amount of disgust boiling in his ghostly belly. Essentially, he had raised this world. Every time line, every possibility, he had nourished and encouraged and brought back from the brink, he had grown to love it, if that were possible for a ghost who sees all, and it pained him immensely to see it crumble and take the path he'd been carefully guiding it against.

Without looking back, the old man created a portal, floating through back into his own lair to watch things unfold as they would.

Because of course, only time would tell what would be of Amity Park.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny awoke with his head feeling lighter than normal, and his vision blurred. He felt sick to his stomach and he had trouble keeping himself awake. He didn't know where he was, just that he was on something so soft he just wanted to roll over and bury himself in the sweet smelling sheets.

The door opened and Danny opened an eye, his vision slowly coming back into focus and he sat up with a gasp.

Vlad Masters, in all his rich glory, stepped into his room. The smug billionaire looked Danny over, his eyes narrowed with something Danny couldn't quite place. "You're finally awake, Little Badger."

Danny growled at the nickname and went to summon his powers, but found that no matter how hard he gasped, that little cold pocket inside of him ducked out of the way. "I hit you with the Plasmius Maximus," Vlad drawled, obviously bored. "So your powers are out for another two hours." He casually glanced at his nails, waiting for Danny's reaction.

Danny didn't give him the satisfaction of one. He narrowed his eyes, his head hurt and his tongue felt like it was lined with cotton, but he forced words past his tired lips. "What am I doing here, Plasmius?"

The older Halfa looked him over before raising one shoulder in a half shrug. "Honestly, Daniel, you dropped off the face of the earth for a whole year and you don't even say hello? Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?"

Danny threw the heavy duvet off his bed, swinging his legs over the side and standing up, fighting to keep his balance. "Oh, piss off Vlad." He growled, putting a hand to his head. "My head hurts too much to deal with you today."

"But Daniel," Danny felt his stomach sink slightly when he heard the venomous undertone in Vlad's voice, "Don't you want to hear about the Mines? And everything that's happened to your precious city since its hero went missing?"

He had to admit he was curious. The town had a dystopian air about it that put him off, one that he knew it didn't have before and shouldn't have acquired at all.

He wondered what Clockwork was doing about all of this. Surely this couldn't be the future Amity was _supposed_ to go through?

Heaving a sigh, he turned back to his nemesis. "Alright I bite. What's happened?"

Vlad's face broke out into a bright grin, though Danny saw it as more of an evil smirk. "Well you see Daniel, since your …capture, I suppose you could say, at the hands of your parents—more specifically that _idiot_ Jack, Amity Park was left up for grabs."

The billionaire moved to the fireplace that was in the room, reaching onto the mantel and taking off a book that rested there, opening it up and leafing through the pages, seemingly engrossed in the words as he spoke to Danny.

"And, because it was up for grabs, I took it. I wouldn't let some weak ghost from the Ghost Zone moving in and taking over my rightful place. Anyway, I made sure the ghosts knew that I was now claiming Amity, and because of that, I …_enlisted_ the help of Walker's goons. It was quite simple really. I went to Walker's prison and grabbed who I wanted." His lips peeled back to reveal freshly whitened teeth, his fangs slightly elongated even in his human guise, the light glistened off of them threateningly.

"And with their help –not that I _needed_ help, mind you—I was able to drive this town forward like the cattle they are." As he listened to the billionaire speak, Danny realised that the older man's voice had changed. It used to be smooth, British and classy. Now it sounded deranged and crazy, as if the man were no longer in control of his sanity.

"I continued to use them, going through town records and finding out that there was a rather large vein of gold under the highway just outside of town. The records were new, so no one had dug into it yet, and I made my move. Slowly at first, using only ghosts to penetrate the ground, I made my first gold billion." He turned back to Danny, his eyes sparkling with what Danny could now identify as madness. "And I continue to get richer and richer, while using the people of Amity as my slaves. They will dig and dig until I tell them to stop, because if they do not dig, I will execute them."

There was something about his words that made Danny pause. He wanted to retort something witty and comical, but wasn't able to move; transfixed by the horrors Vlad was unfolding before him. "Everyone you once knew and cared about is now under my thumb." The billionaire chuckled. "And it's just a matter of time before you realize what a golden opportunity this is, and join me as my heir."

Fat chance, Danny thought, glaring at Vlad. "You're sick, you twisted fruitloop."

Vlad simply chuckled, waving a hand as if to dismiss him. "Whatever you say my boy. I'll bring you down into the Mines one day and you can see what you're truly missing. And for now," Vlad clapped, a couple of ghosts phasing through the door and into the room, grabbing Danny roughly by his arms. "You'll be placed in the room I've prepared for you, and waited on by one of my servants."

Danny rolled his eyes, counting the minutes in his mind until he'd be able to blast Vlad into the next century. He wouldn't stand for this. Couldn't stand for this, but his mind was still to fuzzy to come up with any excuse to destroy Vald with his words. Besides, his tongue felt lopsided. Must be some sort of drug Vlad spiked his water with, but whatever it was, once it wore off, he was going to blast out of this place and figuring out how to get everything back to normal.

He didn't even notice when the heavy steel door shut behind him and he was left alone in a damp room with a cot for a bed and a door that he assumed led to the washroom. He frowned, turning around and taking in the very small room before dejectedly sitting on his cot. There was one window, but he was pretty sure he was too high up to simply jump from it.

"This _sucks._" He never felt as useless as he did just then. His powers were gone and he had no idea what Vlad was doing with his world. He was so engrossed in self-pity he didn't notice when a third door, camouflaged to look like another part of the wall, opened up and someone stepped in.

"…_Danny?_" The voice was so familiar it took him a second to register it as he slowly glanced up at her, taking her in from toe to head. She was naked, well, sort of naked. Thin sheets of material covered her privates and golden plates served as her bra. She was thin; it didn't look like she'd been eating much over the last year and that made his heart shatter.

"Sam…" he breathed, getting to his feet and stepping forward. Her hollow, haunted eyes followed his movements.

"We thought you died," she murmured, glancing around the room as if afraid Vlad would appear. He'd never seen her looking so submissive and afraid. "We…we looked for you, Tucker and I…" She paused only to put down the tray she was carrying before stepping forward and wrapping her thin arms around him. "I'm so glad you're alive."

And she was the final straw in the bubbling cauldron that was Danny's anger. Never had he been so enraged he'd seen red, but now it was all over the place. He brought a hand up to Sam's head, stroking her hair.

Vlad had made a mistake sending Sam to be his servant.

And it was going to be a fatal one.

* * *

**A/N: **

Hey guys!

Ahhh not too thrilled with this chapter. Not too into this story period haha, I have very little freedom with it so chapters might seem a little forced. :: shrugs::

It's hard having Vlad so out of character. I'm used to it, kind of, I suppose, but it's just so extreme here.

I don't know how long this story is going to be. Probably not overly long, but we'll see.

Now, I'm going to take a little break from writing because I think I'm getting sick.


	3. Chapter 3

They talked late into the night. Sam sat beside him, her arms wrapped around him as she quietly spoke about everything that had happened to her since he'd been trapped. She didn't know where Tucker was, but she had a suspicion Vlad was using him somehow. Danny silently listened to all of it, all the pain and torture she went through, his hand rubbing calming circles into her back as her tears dried up, and she gradually calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Danny…" She sniffled, wiping her eyes with shaking hands. She was too thin, and it hurt him to realise that. "I didn't want to break down like that…"

Danny shook his head, keeping one arm protectively around her. "Nonsense, Sam." He said quietly. "I'd do the same thing if I were in your position."

Sam gave him a small smile before hugging him again and standing up. "I have to go now, they're probably already wondering where I am." He watched her as she left, his heart breaking with each step.

She had been tortured. She had been strapped down and beaten, starved and abused, just to break her independence. They had taken Sam, the woman who he knew and respected, and replaced her with the broken woman who had just left his room.

He fell back on his bed, eyes staring at the empty ceiling. How _dare_ Vlad; how _dare_ he do this to her. Danny's fists clenched in anger, his teeth grating as his powers pulsating and dancing on his fingertips.

Oh, how Vlad would pay.

* * *

"So tell me Daniel," Vlad was saying over dinner that night, lazily swirling wine in his glass as Danny picked at the bland food. "How did you come to find yourself back in Amity?"

Danny's eyes were glowing green though he remained in human form, pushing peas around on his plate as Vlad talked. "I flew," he growled, putting his fork down on his plate. A door opened and Sam came in, clad in the same outfit as the night before, carrying a pitcher of wine and quietly refilled Vlad's glass. There was something in the way Vlad eyed Danny that made his stomach turn. It was like Vlad was doing this to flaunt his power. He was dangling something in front of Danny to see if he would take the bait. Well, Danny wasn't going to play by Vlad's rules. He pretended not to notice who was serving them, keeping his eyes locked on Vlad's.

He knew that Vlad wanted him to make a certain move, as if he were in a game of chess, but Danny wasn't about to fall for it.

A sigh met Danny's sarcastic remark, and Vlad brought the wine to his lips, sipping delicately as Sam melted into the background. Vlad's keen eyes didn't miss Danny's angry, shaking fingers. "Well I didn't expect you, a teenager, to _walk_. Honestly you teenagers all believe you're so _entitled,_ when really you're just like everyone else. I'm surprised you even bothered to _fly._ Well, no matter, I'll teach you to get over yourself eventually, because that's what I'm here for." Vlad took a dainty bite of his food, "as your father figure and all."

Danny choked on his spit, his eyes bulging out with horror at the statement. "My _father figure?"_ he squeaked between coughs, staring at him in horror. "Look, Vlad, I think you've got the wrong idea."

Vlad's eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked over at Danny. "I haven't got anything of the sort, my dear Daniel." He shrugged nonchalantly, "because I _am_ your father now, whether you like it or not."

Danny had had suspicions that the first thing Vlad was going to do was to get rid of his father. He closed his eyes now, leaning back and letting his head droop. He faintly heard a small noise of concern from Sam, but he let it fade into the white noise that swamped his mind. Vlad was implying that Jack was dead. Implying that his father, the man who raised him, joked with him; loved him; was dead and gone. It didn't matter that Jack had been a part of the reason that he was locked in the ghost zone for a year, nor did it matter that Danny still felt resentment towards both his parents, he still loved them.

"Great," he murmured, keeping his eyes closed. "What else is going to happen to me?"

* * *

He regretted saying what he had at lunch because the next thing he knew, he and Vlad were on their way to the Mines. Danny protested the whole way there, and thanks to another handy little zap from the Plasmius Maximus, he was unable to break free and make a run for it. He knew what to look for, at least, so he was only mildly surprised when they got to the Mines.

It was a quiet day for the workers, Vlad had remarked as they approached, less people going in and coming out of the Mines than normal. "Do they ever get days off?" Danny asked quietly, though he figured he already knew the answer to that.

"No." Came Vlad's clipped answer, his cape billowing out behind him on a phantom breeze as they entered the giant mouth of the Mines.

"Well that's depressing," Danny muttered, clenching his jaw to try and remind himself to stay calm. The Mines were dark, intermittent torches barely lighting up the space around them, and Vlad as Plasmius created an orb on his hand to light their way. Danny noted several tunnels branching off about three hundred yards into the Mines, and his ears picked up the distant sounds of metal hitting stone as workers picked away at the rock.

He also heard the sound of metal wheels scraping against track, and he knew someone was pushing a cart up towards them. Vlad was wearing a wolfish grin, no doubt waiting to see this bounty of gold. Danny was eager for another reason, he wanted to see what shape the workers were in, though he figured they couldn't be in good shape.

As the cart approached and the figures came into the light, he almost let out a gasp when he saw who it was.

His hair was dirty and matted, and he had lost a lot of muscle and weight, but it was no doubt that the first figure that stepped into the rosy light was Kwan. One of the bullies from Casper High that Danny never thought he'd ever feel bad watching him do hard labor. Kwan blinked dizzily when he stepped into the light, his clothes were tattered and destroyed, his shirt barely holding on and his pants little more than scraps clinging to his belt. Shielding his eyes, Kwan turned towards the source of the light before giving a small, terrified yip when he saw Vlad, turning back to the cart to continue to pull it, terror falling off of him in waves.

The cart passed through next, the gold sparkling in between dirt clods, and Vlad's eyes wandered hungrily over it. Pushing the cart from behind, as Danny had suspected from the moment he saw Kwan, was Dash. Dash's hair had grown out so it framed his face, but it was clumped and full of dirt, his blue eyes dulled and glued to the ground. Broken, just like Sam. His letterman jacket was torn, looking like just touching it would make it fall off, and his pants were barely better than Kwan's.

Danny felt his anger bubbling over again, he hated Dash and Kwan, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel an overwhelming sense of anger and the need to protect that he felt with all innocents.

"Isn't this great, Little Badger?" Vlad asked after Dash had passed through the light orb, the carts wheels squeaking down the track. "All those bullies who tortured you in school; who made your life a living Hell—they're now getting their dues."

"_Great?_" Danny spat, glaring at Vlad with everything he had. "I didn't want this for them, even if they were complete jackasses in school! No one deserves to be in a situation like this! You disgust me! I can't believe even someone like _you_ would sink so low, you disgusting piece of shit!"

Vlad looked slightly hurt, but Danny didn't see it, having turned on his heels to escape the Mines. Nothing was going to keep him in there, not after what he'd seen. He charged past Dash and Kwan, and right out of the Mines, stopping to catch his breath when he saw the first trees. He knew he couldn't get far from Vlad, in fact, he was fairly certain Vlad had a clone tracking him, or at the very least a mechanical tracker somewhere on his person.

"So yer running away?"

Danny jumped at the voice, looking around for its source. Paul suddenly swung down from a branch, his crazy hair falling around him and scraping across the ground. "Ey there!" His grin flashed across his face before he fell unceremoniously out of the tree, landing on his head. "Oof. Good t'see ya, kid!"

"Paul." Danny's voice was flat as he stared at the crazy old man. "What are you doing here?"

"Checkin' up on ya, o'course." He chirped easily as he stood up, rubbing the sore spot on his head where he landed. "Saw ya get taken by them floaty whispy thingies." He wiggled his fingers in what he probably believed was a spooky motion. "Ghosties or somethin'."

Danny rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. "Really, Paul, I don't need 'checking up on', if anything, you're going to be more of a hindrance than a help."

Paul didn't look bothered at all by Danny's comments. "Well, I think I can be of some help!" he said, raising his hands up. "I can do things you know!"

Danny sighed, pushing past Paul as he started walking again, sick of being so close to the mines. "No, Paul. Now go home before you get caught and thrown into the Mines you looney."

Paul sighed, "I just wanted t'check up on ya, sport." He frowned, running a hand through his mop of hair. "I was worried."

"Just _go away!_" Danny practically shouted at him as he stormed off, and Paul flinched, his already small frame shrinking slightly.

His frame shimmering slightly he shook his head. "Daniel, you really need to take your friends where you can find them…" The quiet whisper didn't reach Danny's retreating ears and Paul didn't seem to mind. "You're not going to be able to beat this without them." He looked back at the Mine, watching Kwan and Dash in the distance as they shoveled their clods of dirt and cold into a sorting bin. "Whoever they may be."

With that, the powerful ghost slowly faded back into the Ghost Zone, retreating again to watch from the safety of his lair.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey guys! So, um, important (ish) AN at the bottom! See you down there!

* * *

There wasn't even the slightest reprieve from the moment Danny had stormed away from Paul to when Plasmius appeared in front of him again. "Daniel," the powerful ghost crossed his arms as he looked down at the younger Halfa. "I don't know where you're going but I suggest you turn around immediately. You won't like what I'll have to do to you if you continue."

Danny's glare could shatter stone but Plasmius didn't back down or even bat an eye. The older man simply raised an eyebrow before descending closer to Danny and putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny flinched and tried to struggle out of his grip, but Plasmius would have none of it.

Plasmius dug his fingers into Danny's shoulder and forced him to turn around. "I have a surprise waiting for you at the palace," Plasmius said with a grin. "I really think you'll like it."

Danny kept his eyes locked ahead and tried to pretend he that Plasmius wasn't right next to him or squeezing his shoulder like a reassuring fatherly figure. Danny bit his tongue, refusing to talk to the older Halfa about anything, beyond pissed at what he was doing to the world and counting down the minutes till he could beat the shit out of the pompous idiot.

It didn't take them long to get to the palace again and Plasimus followed Danny up to his suite of a room. Inside, Danny was brought to his bed where a box waited. It was white and prettied up with a bow on top, he looked at it with disgust. Was Vlad trying to buy his affections?

"Go on, open it." Plasmius encouraged, pushing Danny forward.

Danny glared over at him before lifting the lid off of the box. Inside of it, there was a crown, a ring, and a cape. He turned instantly and looked at Plasmius wide eyed. "What the hell are you doing!?" Danny cried out, looking back at the box. "The Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire!?"

"Relax," Plasmius changed back to Masters, shrugging. "They're duplicates. I have the originals."

"You—What about Pariah Dark!?" Danny asked, panic lacing his words. He'd only barely been able to put the insane ghost king back in his sarcophagus the first time Vlad had been idiotic enough to try to get the items.

"Pariah is of no concern, Daniel." Vlad rolled his eyes, walking over and looking down at the box. "I disposed of him."

"How!?" Danny almost screamed. "You _begged_ me last time to help you!"

"I'm stronger than I was, Daniel!" Vlad snapped, "Now put them on! You'll be prince of this world you know!"

Danny paused, his eyes locked on Vlad's before he reached a hand out and grabbed the box, throwing it off the bed and onto the floor. "I will never be your son, Vlad." He growled with menace, his eyes glowing deadly green. "No matter what you do, or how you bribe me."

Vlad watched for a minute, eyeing the items that were now on the floor, "Well that's too bad. But as I said, I have the originals, and therefore, I have their powers at my fingertips- literally." Vlad's face split into a vicious grin as he walked calmly over to the discarded items and picked them up, placing them back in the gift box. "And before long, without your knowledge, you're going to be under my thumb like the rest of these worthless sacs of flesh."

Danny rolled his eyes. "They're _people_ Vlad, not 'worthless sacs of flesh'."

"No!" Vlad snarled, his eyes flashing a deadly red. "They are worthless! We, Daniel, we are the superior race," The glow from his eyes illuminated his white hair and Danny swallowed nervously. He'd never seen Vlad's eyes glow that powerfully before. "We are both alive and dead, in a figurative sense." He held out his hands, his energy building and bubbling on it, lighting up the room with a pink hue. "We have power over _all_ of these pathetic beings- and even our own kind!"

Danny shook his head, "You're wrong, Vlad. So very wrong." He said sadly. If Vlad hadn't allowed his powers to take him down the dark road they had, the younger halfa might have considered using him as a mentor.

Truth be told, Danny had wanted nothing more than to have someone who had more experience with this to be his mentor, to teach him and show him secrets that took him years on his own to unlock. And Vlad would have made the perfect mentor, Danny thought to himself. In fact, he had even liked the billionaire when they first met, even if he found him a tad bit creepy for hitting on his mother. And maybe if he hadn't trapped him in that cube that negated his powers and shown his true colours by trying to kill his father, maybe he would have considered letting Vlad teach him.

But now, Danny wanted nothing to do with the lunatic. In fact, as soon as he thought of a plan, he was going to get out of here and save his friends and classmates. Maybe he'd find a way back to the ghost zone and plead with Clockwork to reverse time. He didn't know if he could fix the damages that had occurred to this town, it was a lot to think of, but the young would-be hero was determined to do _something_.

Finally, he simply glared at the man as the billionaire tucked the box under his arm again, turning his nose up to Danny. "You're really going to be sorry you know," He said casually, his eyes burning red still. "You're going to need the ring and crown one day and then they won't be there for you. And whose fault will _that_ be?"

"_Yours,_" Danny growled, turning his back on him as he sat angrily on his bed. "Everything is always _your_ fault you know." He said bitterly, clenching and unclenching his fists to try to contain his anger.

Vlad simply shook his head, straightening out his shoulders as he looked down at Danny. "Dinner is within the hour. I expect you to be cleaned and proper and sitting at attention at the dinner table when I arrive." There was a hint of a warning in his voice, and he eyed Danny critically, though the younger halfa didn't notice, having his back turned and his attention absorbed in the grain of the bricks on the wall.

* * *

Nothing could have prepared him for what was awaiting him in the dining hall. And it wasn't simply the buffet of food that was elaborately put out in artistic displays on the table. It was the fact that sitting in a chair next to Vlad's place was his mother. His _mother_. She was dressed in an elaborately sewn dress, consisting mostly of a pencil skirt that didn't go lower than halfway down her thighs, and a halter bra to cover her breasts, leaving the rest of her skin exposed.

The dress was perfectly coloured to bring out both the blush in Maddie's skin, and her eyes, drawing attention away from her bright hair and to her face. Danny swallowed nervously, knowing that she saw him and that she was watching him with a mixture of shock, hope and fear.

He avoided her gaze as he pulled his chair out, sitting heavily in it as he glared at his plate. _Great._ His heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and he was sure there wasn't any colour left on his face. _Of course she'd be here._ He thought bitterly, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. His father was probably dead, and Vlad had stolen his Mom for himself.

Like this day could get _any_ worse. He was still angry and hurt at his parents for putting him in the ghost zone that caused all of this, and he wasn't even sure how his mother felt about him anymore. It couldn't be easy for her to handle this, what with him being half of the thing she hunted and hated the most.

His stomach was twisted into a tight knot of anxiety, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying not to look at her for comfort. At least she was alive and here. At the very least.

But where was his Dad?

Danny shoved the thought out of his mind as Vlad strolled in all grins hand happiness. "Ah, Daniel! Glad to see you." He chirped as he put himself into the chair next to Maddie, draping his arm around her shoulders, forcing her closer to him. "I see you've seen our guest? I hope you get used to her, because she'll be joining us most nights."

Danny nodded wordlessly, keeping his eyes down as slaves served them, trying not to acknowledge anyone. He just wanted to go to his room where maybe Sam would come visit him again. He really hoped she would, at least. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

"So…Danny," the quiet voice came from his mother and Danny couldn't help but look up at her. Her voice stirred some emotions inside of him he'd rather keep buried right now. He needed his strength to figure out how to take down Vlad, and having his mother—who he still couldn't figure out how to feel about given the fact that she'd locked him in the Ghost Zone recently on the basis that he's _scum_,- speak to him stirred emotions in him he just didn't want to place a name on. "Um, how have you been?"

Her words were strained they were forced, and unnatural. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, trying to untie it so he could speak without showing how much of a strain this whole situation was on him. Vlad's piercing blue human eyes were locked on his face, drinking in every emotion that he let slip by. He was studying Danny like a hawk, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, trying to look for any sign of Danny breaking.

Danny finally trusted himself enough to speak and he sat up a little more. "I've been fine." He said, short and straight to the point without betraying too much. He avoided looking at his mother in favor of locking eyes with Vlad, silently trying to communicate with his enemy that he knew what was going on and that he wouldn't be swayed by it.

"Oh…well, that's good." Maddie almost whispered, looking down at her picked at plate, putting the fork down and folding her hands in her lap, clearly done with eating and Danny didn't blame her. He wasn't hungry either.

"Daniel, why don't you tell your mother about your decision to join me?" Vlad asked, raising his glass to his lips with a smirk, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

"What?" Maddie looked up at Danny, her face draining of colour.

"What!" Danny exclaimed, looking up at Vlad, his eyes flashing green in warning, but hearing his mother's startled and somewhat fearful gasp, he quickly closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down and willing his eyes to turn blue again. "I _never_ agreed to join you." He growled, his fork bending in his fist.

"Really?" Vlad asked innocently, shrugging slightly. "I must have misheard you then," he chuckled, sitting back. "Though I do know that that will be your answer." He said self-assuredly.

Danny growled standing up and slamming his hands onto the table. "I don't know how often we have to do this dance, Plasmius," he voice dripped with venom. "But I'm not going to join you _ever._" With that, he turned and stormed away from the table, his eyes glowing brightly even with his efforts to keep his powers at bay.

The slaves around the castle moved away from him, keeping their distance as if sensing his powers and his foul mood. If they knew anything about halfas it was that they were volatile and unpredictable.

Danny stormed into his room, slamming the door closed and punching the wall, the brick shattering under the force of it, the chips embedding in his skin. He hardly noticed the pain, or the green and red blood dripping down onto the carpet. He sat heavily on the bed, breathing heavily through his nose in his frustration and anger.

Why did nothing ever go right for him? He pressed his non-throbbing hand against his forehead, desperately trying not to let frustrated tears escape. He would _not_ be weak like that; he couldn't be if he wanted to survive.

The door opened slightly and Danny turned his back away, refusing to look at who came in. He just wanted to be left alone with his sorrow right now. He felt a gentle hand on his back and he tensed, biting his lip so hard he felt blood gush into his mouth. This was all going so _wrong._

"Danny…" Sam's voice was quiet, her hand starting to make small circles on his back comfortingly. "Danny, you're bleeding…"

He couldn't hear her very well through the throbbing headache of frustration, but knowing it was just Sam he let some of the built up tension out, an unmanly sob breaking out, and his shoulders began shaking.

Sam seemed to understand, taking his bleeding hand and picking out the bits of brick carefully. He let her do what she wanted, he was too lost in his own mind to really notice. She grabbed a towel from somewhere, Danny wasn't exactly sure where, and wiped the blood off of his hand. "Danny, it's going to be okay…" She whispered quietly, wrapping his hands in bandages. "Now that you're here, it's going to be okay."

He wanted to believe her, he really did, but how could _he_ change anything? Sure, he was a halfa and a hero in his own right, but he couldn't fight Vlad now. There were too many people under Vlad's thumb for him to be comfortable attacking his nemesis.

So instead, he just turned to look at Sam, his thoughts bogged down with frustration and he pulled her into his arms, falling back onto the bed. She was tense, he noticed. Tenser than she'd been any other time he'd hugged her and so he let her go. She didn't move for a moment, but when she did, he felt his heart leaving with her. "I'd like to stay," she murmured apologetically. "But I have to go or I'll get in trouble."

"I know," he said, turning his head away and looking over at the wall. He heard her sigh and felt her weight lift away from the bed and he rolled over, feeling more than alone.

"I'm sorry, Danny…but we all know you're going to fix this. All of us captives think it." She said quietly, though he was sure she didn't realise what pressure she was putting on him, but he refused to say anything. He refused to complain about it because it wasn't just about him.

No.

Now it was about the whole world.

* * *

**A/N: **

Okay, so here's the scoop:

School's started again. So what's going to happen now is that **_All stories are on a semi-hiatus._**

That does **not** mean I've given them up, or that they're never going to be updated till the end of school, it just means that I have to concentrate on school, so I'll only be typing when I have spare time.

I'm really sorry about this, but I _have_ to concentrate on school. BUT I really like my stories, so I won't be giving them up. Chances are, I'll forego homework to work on these XD!

We'll see.

Anyway, I'll see you all in the next update of _Inferno!_


	5. Chapter 5

**RedHeadsRock1010:** _Wow, love this story so far! :D btw I must have missed it in_  
_the beginning and I'm sorry if you already said it but, does everyone know Danny is half ghost?_

Ahh! I should have been clearer with this. No, not everyone knows, but because his parents do, and they've already done something to him, he doesn't really….care. So he uses his powers freely, besides, Vlad's being an asshole so I feel Danny has every right to use them! XD But yeah, no not everyone knows, but with everyone being in the mines and already knowing that _Vlad_ is a half ghost, Danny doesn't feel as obligated to hide it.

Hope that cleared it up!

* * *

Danny was standing next to Plasmius—not by his own choice of course, but he was still there. Plasmius was giving some sort of speech to whoever wasn't currently in the mines, proclaiming his lasting rule and demanding their loyalty.

He was wearing the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, and that made Danny shift nervously. Plasmius always changed when he wore those mystic items; he became more violent and easier to anger. But it's not like he wasn't _always_ violent, but it was more defined when he had those on.

Danny was worried not about himself...no he couldn't care less about his own safety, but about what Plasmius could do to Sam and his other classmates-turned-slaves. He didn't want them to suffer more than they already had—though he couldn't help but feel the _tiniest_ bit of satisfaction that Dash was suffering now.

He didn't like to dwell on those thoughts, though. He'd been thinking them too much lately, and he didn't want to become like a certain _someone_. He wasn't evil; he knew that and he was determined to prove it.

Vlad was going to be going down sooner than he would have ever imagined.

But first Danny need to separate him from the artifacts he wore, or else he'd be much too powerful. But how would he do that?

Danny leaned forward slightly, casually looking around Plasmius and seeing his mother standing on Plamius' other side. As much as he hated to admit it, he might have to talk to his mother again. He didn't _want_ to talk to her, but he might have no choice. She would be the only way to get close to Vlad, as gross as it was to admit.

He figured he knew what he was going to have to do to take down Vlad, but it was going to be hard. He didn't know how powerful Vlad was and he was sure his powers weren't a match of him, one way or another.

He stood back up straight as Plasmius concluded his speech, "And so I will rule, and by my side are my lovely bride—" He hooked his arm around Maddie, pulling her closer. She wrinkled her nose with disgust and looked away. "—and my loving son."

Danny tensed, his fingers closing into fists. If his powers had been working, his eyes would have been glowing a dangerous green, but Vlad had made sure to zap him with the Plasmius Maximus again, early in the morning. He'd also made the grim discovery that Plasmius had upgraded the stupid device, elongating the powers to last a full day instead of simply three hours.

As it was, Danny simply transferred his glare to his feet, trying not to give into the urge to jump and strangle Vlad. That monster would pay…but not yet.

The crowd simply watched Vlad in terrified horror, not sure if they were allowed to make a sound. Their self-imposed ruler was ruthless, and more than a little insane. They didn't want to invoke his wrath. Danny could understand that, knowing what it was like to fear him.

He felt at useless and awkward as a fish out of water without his powers, but there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Vlad had made it a habit to visit every morning and zap him, so he had no choice but to go about the day as a _normal_ kid.

Danny felt a cold hand on his shoulder and he glared back at its owner, only to be met with a devilish grin from Skulker. Of course. Wherever Vlad was, Skulker was sure to be as well, since Vlad paid him enough. The metallic ghost nodded towards the crowd, signalling that Danny should be paying attention.

The halfa growled low in his throat, shrugging his shoulder out of Skulker's grip. He didn't need any stupid mechanical ghost telling him what to do. If it weren't for the fact that Vlad would skin him alive, he'd bolt right now. He really needed to think over his plan. He had an idea of what he was going to do to stop Vlad, but it was in no way completely thought out or ready to be put into action.

He sighed when he felt the tip of a gun press against his lower back, knowing Skulker intended to keep him in line. Danny suddenly realized that everyone in the crowd was suddenly looking at him, and he paled under their intense stares. "Uh…" he swallowed, risking a glance at Vlad.

The billionaire-turned-world-ruler simply raised an eyebrow as he returned the boy's look. Danny's nerves were bunched up with tension and he looked back over the crowd, not knowing what he was supposed to say. But knowing Vlad, the insane fruitloop probably mentioned something about how Danny was now his son. Not that Danny would ever confirm that, but he had no choice right now.

He felt the pressure from Skulker's gun on his back increase as the hunter leaned forward. "Thank Plasmius, welp." He growled menacingly "before I blow your pretty little abdomen off and ruin your pelt."

Danny suppressed a shudder at the idea of his skin hanging on Skulker's wall and cleared his throat. "I…I uh, thank Vlad…" He said, his voice wavering with fear and anger. He was being humiliated and Vlad was enjoying it. Oh, how the fruitloop would pay!

"And?" Skulker prompted, his gun whirring with a warning charge.

"A-And I promise to make him…proud?" Danny felt bile rise in the back of his throat with the words and cringed. He wish he didn't have to say it, but it seemed to make Skulker satisfied because his gun stopped charging with a disappointed whir, and the pressure on his back lessened. Danny breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Skulker was going to pay too.

Danny had an idea on how to take Vlad down, but he had no idea how to go about it. To do what he wanted would be _more_ than dangerous, and he needed to get away from Vlad and figure out how to get into the ghost zone.

He first wanted to see if Clockwork would allow himself to be available, and if he was, he'd ask if his plan was any good. In his head, it was almost like suicide, but Danny knew he really didn't have any other choice. If Clockwork wasn't available, he'd go ahead and do it anyway. Better to die trying to save everyone than cower under Vlad's tyranny…right?


	6. Chapter 6

In the deepest recesses of the Ghost Zone, where the light from the atmosphere seemed to dim and turn to a sort of permanent night, causing it to have an eerie atmosphere. Even the ghosts who inhabit this part of the Zone were not altogether willing to visit this area.

But there were some who found it quite comfortable and at home; and Clockwork was one of those ghosts. He'd left his layer in the Realm-Beyond-Time and had travelled quite a distance to arrive here. The ghost zone was vast and ever expanding, but that never confused the Time master.

He knew where to go, when to turn and when it changed, no matter what happened in or around the Zone, the master knew it all. He knew that where he was currently floating in was a very volatile and dangerous area, one that he could be vaporized in, but he wasn't worried. Everything was as it should be.

"Clockwork!" The deep and slightly echoing voice caught the Time Master's attention and he turned, his body changing into a child as he did, but a knowing smirk appeared on his face all the same. "What are you doing here?"

Clockwork bowed his head slightly in respect for the other ghost, transferring the weight of his staff from one hand to the other, taking his time to reply. He knew what he had to say and how he had to say it, because this ghost was more than a little _hot headed_ so to speak; and he needed time to drink it in.

Preferably it wouldn't take the ghost long to make up his mind, but it was a very large decision and one that had an impact on not only this ghost's after-life, but _all_ ghost's after-lives.

"Fright Knight," Clockwork greeted him, his body turning into that of an elderly man. "I've got a proposal for you…"

The Knight raised an eyebrow in question, folding his arms in front of his chest. "I'm waiting, Clockwork."

Clockwork grinned again before quickly telling Fright Knight of the going-ons of the human world, putting stress on the fact that whatever happened to the human realm also eventually impacted the Ghost Zone and for added effect, and he allowed the Knight to see some of the visions Clockwork himself had seen. Just to give impact about how deadly this could be.

The Spirit of Halloween looked at the Master of Time and frowned. "You wish me to…?"

Clockwork nodded to cut off Fright Knight, waving his staff nonchalantly. "Yes, I do. Think about it." Clockwork said with a smile. The ghost would be essential in fixing everything; well, essential in _kick starting_ fixing everything, at least. And truth be told, Fright Knight wasn't the ghost Clockwork was after, but simply a step in the right direction.

But that wouldn't matter so much once he got everything rolling. And with a sly smile and a flick of his wrist, Clockwork teleported away from the baffled Knight and grinned to himself as he turned towards a viewing clock; Danny had drawn his own conclusions, but they weren't the ones Clockwork wanted, so the Master of Time had set about his own way. He had gotten the ball rolling.

"Everything is how it should be," He said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

He wasn't exactly sadistic, but watching the time stream was awfully boring at times, and this was going to be the highlight of the century, more than likely.

It was going to be flashy, that's for sure.

* * *

The boy Clockwork was currently fixated on was pacing his small room. The day couldn't have gone any worse after that embarrassing assembly where Vlad had forced him to lie about his feelings about being kept prisoner. He didn't want to be here, couldn't _stand_ being here, but he had to pretend that everything was okay; that Vlad was going to make a _good father figure_ even if the boy wanted nothing more than to punch the man's lights out.

But he had to go along with it for now; if he was able to speak to his Mom, maybe he'd be able to get passed this, maybe he'd be able to bring down Vlad once and for all. And the boy wanted nothing more than to smash the villain's head underneath his booted feet.

He was presently waiting for Sam. She was supposed to come back here and tell him what she'd found out. She'd been waiting for him once he'd gotten back from the assembly, and he'd shared his plan with her.

It was quite simple: Get the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire from Vlad. Without them, his powers would be diminished if not brought back to normal, a more manageable level. And maybe if Danny was lucky, he'd be able to acquire power from the ancient artifacts and reverse some of the damage that Vlad had done.

However, he couldn't do this alone.

He needed his mother to obtain the artifacts, and that in its self wouldn't be easy. Not only because he was sure that Vlad safeguarded them twenty four seven—he actually had a plan to counter that—but because he'd actually have to talk to his mother again. He just wasn't ready for that. Not after what she'd done; what she'd called him.

And everything that had happened consequently; essentially she and Jack were responsible for Vlad's take over. If Danny hadn't been locked in the Zone, he would have been able to foil Vlad's plans again; but it hadn't been possible from his position and so Vlad had been allowed to take things to the extreme.

After he'd gotten the artifacts away from Vlad, Danny was confident that he'd be able to at the very _least_ match Vlad's strength, but if not he had a backup plan. He'd need to sneak into the mines, but he figured that shouldn't be too hard, not once he'd started to set this in motion. But he needed the help from the townsfolk. If he could train them on how to defend themselves, maybe find a way into Vlad's vault of anti-ghost weaponry that he _knew_ the fruitloop kept hidden here, then maybe they'd stand a chance at fighting the police ghosts that hung around. It was worth a shot, at least.

But he needed to put his plan into motion first, and that of course started with him _complying_ to Vlad's rule. He had to pretend to convert to his enemy's wishes, and be the simple little obedient slave that Vlad wanted him to be.

_That_, in Danny's mind, was going to be the most challenging aspect of this whole situation. He couldn't stomach the idea of being _nice_ to the insane billionaire. But it had to be done and Danny wasn't going to back down on this plan now. He had to get everything straightened out and taken care of. There were people counting on him.

He turned when he heard the staff door in his room open and he breathed a sigh of relief as Sam stepped through. "So?" He asked curiously. He didn't want to rush her, but he needed to know as soon as possible. He put his hands on her shoulders lightly, trying to comfort her as much as possible.

"I found her," Sam said quietly, eyes darting around the room. Her nervous demeanor always made Danny's heart shatter a little more. Here was his headstrong Sam, his beautiful, tough Goth friend, reduced to a quivering, paranoid mess because of Vlad and his disgusting habits. "She said she'll talk to you…"

There was hesitation in Sam's voice. Something that Danny normally wouldn't have picked up on, but with his senses on high alert it was blaringly obvious. "There's an _if_ to that, isn't there?" He asked quietly.

Sam nodded and gave him a sympathetically sad look. "_If_ she's allowed to bring the Plasmius Maximus."

Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his stomach sank into his feet. Of course his mother wouldn't trust him anymore. He, after all, was the hated spook she'd been trying to kill for two years. He was the ghost who _seemingly_ took over her little boy's body and killed the Danny inside. He should have known she'd be wary around him.

"Fine," he said quietly, his voice like stone. "She can bring whatever she likes, as long as she's alone," and just like that any hope he might've had about holding onto his mother and maybe changing her attitude about him was shattered and thrown away like dust in the wind. He needed her help, but he'd never been more alone.

Sam quietly nodded , gave him a quick, reassuring hug and fled through the stairs, hopefully going off to speak with Maddie. Danny sighed and sat down on his bed, his head hanging. He bet his father hated him, too. It wouldn't just be his mother. But he still needed her help, and he wasn't going to be able to do this all alone. He just hoped he could convince her.

Things just got a lot more difficult.

* * *

**A/N:**

Schools out now, so I have time to work on these again, and I thought HEY why not give my patient readers TWO chapters in honor of the holidays!?

And then I thought, why not update _all_ my stories!?

And then I did.

So there you go.

Also, I'm done school. In the I-just-graduated-college-what-am-I-going-to-do-now sense, so I'm going to have to find a full time job and start doing ADULT THINGS gasp.

so updates MAY continue to be slow, but i'm not sure.


	7. Chapter 7

She was careful. Everything about her screamed _ghost hunter_, and Danny felt himself burst into a cold sweat. He didn't want her to turn that scrutinizing eye on him. He wanted her gaze to fall into that of a concerned and loving mother. He wanted his Mom back. He wanted her to hold him in his arms and make everything better, because that's what Moms were _supposed_ to do.

But she was never going to do that again and he knew it. The careful click of her nails on the table was enough to warn him not to dally—she was here for business and for just how long, they both didn't know. How long was Vlad going to be out for the day and leave them alone? It couldn't be long, and they both knew it, though Sam _had_ snuck Maddie through the back corridors, so no one could say they knew where she was.

Danny shifted nervously on his bed, wringing his hands. The Plasmius Maximus was sitting on Maddie's lap like a ton of bricks and Danny's eyes constantly went to it, just to make sure it didn't somehow gain a life of its own and jump out to attack him.

Hey, it _was_ Plasmius' invention, it could do _anything_.

Danny decided that they'd wasted enough time and he opened his mouth to speak. "Mom—."

"_Maddie_." She cut off harshly, her eyes narrowing dangerously as her hand twitched to the device on her lap. Obviously, she no longer wanted him to associate with her on such familiar terms. Taking another deep breath and swallowing nervously, Danny corrected himself.

"_Maddie…_" He started. The word felt heavy on his tongue, like lead and paint, and he didn't like saying it. Her name was _mom_, and no matter what she did, he'd always _see_ her as Mom. "I…I have a plan to stop Vlad." There, there was a spark of interest in her eyes—not much, but something to tell him that she'd at the _least_ listen to his story, even if it seemed she wasn't paying attention. He knew her well enough to know that.

"_But—_" here was the part where he wasn't sure if she'd comply; she'd always been faithful to Jack, and now Danny was going to ask her to betray him? How could he have been so stupid? Of course she'd never _willingly_ betray his father! This wasn't going to work! How could he have believed it would?

He was so stupid! He'd lost his edge in ghost hunting, that's all. His mother was going to laugh in his face and walk away, and he'd lose every last bit of a chance that he had. This was it. It was over. He'd ruined every last chance the people in that mine had, and he'd done it all selfishly. Maybe if he'd just used the Wail on Vlad and gotten it over with…

"But?_"_ Maddie asked, calmly and quietly, but with an unmistakeable hint of impatience that made the question more of a command.

"But I need your help." He looked down at his hands on his lap, taking a second to get his mind together. He could do this. If she said no he could just come up with another plan. Yeah, he could do that. Closing his eyes for a minute he straightened his face before lifting his head, meeting his mother's eyes square on in all seriousness.

"I need you to distract Vlad." Danny knew it was now all or nothing. If she denied this, then his plan was done and he'd have to come up with a new one. He had enough confidence left in her that he knew she wouldn't tell Vlad his plan to dethrone the tyrant—at least not unless he were torturing her, and Danny highly doubted Vlad would do that to Maddie. "Distract him in _any way possible,_" Danny emphasized, and he knew that Maddie got the reference because her eyes widened and a slight blush touched her cheeks. Danny felt sick. He knew that Vlad must have forced himself on her and it killed him inside that he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Or that Maddie would even want him to do it. With the way she was acting towards him right now, he wasn't sure she'd even let Danny help at all. But he had to try and she was his best bet. If it wasn't her…he might have to use Sam, and that would be—he couldn't even think of it. "_Please_…." Danny begged, watching her carefully.

She seemed to ponder it, her eyes half closed as she thought about the implications and conditions she'd have to do, and quite possibly _working with him_. Working with Phantom, a being she hated.

He could almost see the gears turning in her head before she finally sighed. "Alright," she relented, her hands relaxing slightly on the weapon on her lap. "What do I have to do?"

Danny lit up, a small smile on his face. She was actually going to help him! It was more than he could have asked for and more than he expected just a mere few seconds ago! "It's kind of easy, well—nothing's easy when it comes to Vlad, but you know—um," he shrunk under her glare, reminded yet again that she was no longer the woman who would bring him hot chocolate in bed when it was particularly cold night. "—O-okay, so it's a little difficult but I'm sure you could pull it off, Mom—er, Maddie…I…I just need the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. That's all I'm asking. If I can get those away from him, I can use their power to make myself stronger than he is, and I can defeat him."

Maddie nodded to herself, but her eyes were still cold and hard to read. Danny tried not to look in them for too long, scared of what he might find there. He heard a soft sigh, "Alright, Danny." She finally said, and Danny was frankly surprised to hear his name being uttered. "I'll try. As long as you think you can get us out of this situation. I hate to say it, but you're the last hope we've got."

Her words stung, but Danny tried not to show it. "Thanks." He said as Maddie got to her feet and went to the servants stairs, knowing that if Vlad caught her here, she'd be in trouble. "For everything, it will all work out, I promise." _Or I'll die trying,_ Danny added silently as his mother gave him a look over, from head to toe before shaking her head and entering the stairwell, closing the door with a soft _click_.

At this point, Danny was half-heartedly hoping he'd die trying. He had no family left, and Sam was distant, too broken to even be her anymore. At least he knew that if he died, he'd have tried his hardest to change things.

* * *

This part of the Ghost Zone was barren. Nothing came here, out of fear for what rested in its very center. Fright Knight cautiously rode Nightmare forward, his horse snorting with restrained energy. It was a _war_ horse, not a travelling pony, and it wanted to fight. It could sense where they were, and knew that that meant they'd soon be able to dive into battle. Or so it thought.

Fright Knight kept a tight hand on the reigns as his other clutched the Soul Shredder, his eyes darting to the massive red creature beside him as he neared his target. "Behemoth," Fright Knight said quietly, pulling Nightmare to a stop. "When I awaken him, I will need you to restrain him until we have properly portrayed our situation and asked for his help."

The creature nodded his head, fangs dripping saliva and his four arms clenching and unclenching in its eagerness to continue their mission. "Very well," Fright Knight said, turning to the object before them.

Four massive rocks, intricate details carved into them were floating in a circle around the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, giant, heavy chains trailing from each rock to the Sarcophagus, holding it in place and shut, while each rock and chained glowed a dull blue. The magic from the rocks was meant to keep the magic of the Sarcophagus going, even though it was lacking the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, holding its occupant inside.

Fright Knight gave one last look at Behemoth, before getting off of Nightmare and floating close to the Sarcophagus. Gazing down at the prison that held his master, Fright Knight lifted the Soul Shredder high above his head, tip pointing down, and impaled it directly in between the links of chain.

There was absolute quiet for a moment as the blue energy raced up the sword, over Fright Knight, and then dissipated into the air, and the Sarcophagus began to shake. Sound seemed to race back as a massive crack split the tomb in two, and Fright Knight was thrown off, dust billowing up from the broken remains of the ancient relic. Behemoth darted forward, grabbing the ghost inside and holding him tight against his chest.

"Who dares to disturb me!?" Pariah Dark bellowed, writing against the beast holding him. "Let me go, you mortal fool!"

"My master." Fright Knight bowed as best he could while floating in the air, glad to see him back. "We have many things to discuss."


	8. Chapter 8

Danny stared at the relics in his hands, turning them over and gaping in awe. Exactly _how_ his mother had gotten them away from Vlad, he didn't want to know. But she'd delivered them via Sam, and that's all he cared about. The Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire were his now. He could _feel_ the energy and power radiating off of them, their individual powers nothing compared to what they were together.

With these, he was more than he ever imagined. He held more power than _any_ ghostly being, more than anyone he'd known. Briefly he wondered if he had more power than Clockwork himself; but the idea was short lived and quickly died down. Even if he _did_ have more power than Clockwork, he would not use it against the older ghost. Would he?

Danny set the Crown of Fire down on his bed and studied the Ring of Rage. It was now or never, he knew. He had to get these things on and his power up if he ever wanted to beat Vlad and save everyone. Taking a deep breath, Danny slid the ring onto his ring finger, biting his lip at the tantalizing feeling of power rushing through him. His hands tingled and his aura seemed to glow brighter.

Danny grinned, his eyes flashing red briefly before turning back to their normal green. He looked over at the crown and picked it up, eyeing it in the same manner he had looked over the ring. Carefully, Danny lowered the crown to his head, his breath hitching when it solidly rested on it. The power of the two objects combined made the breath flow out of Danny in a _woosh_. His lungs ached for air but his brain was unable to process the need.

He could feel his powers racing through his body, fighting with the dominant human part of his mind and clashing in every sense of the word with his senses. His mouth opened in a noiseless scream and his fingers curled in, cutting through his gloves and into his palms. He broke out in a cold sweat as the feelings intensified, making him shake with the feeling.

This power was a greater rush than gaining a new power; it was a greater rush than anything he'd ever experienced. He knew that if he were to try any and all drugs, nothing could compare to what he was currently feeling.

No wonder why Vlad used his powers for evil. The pure, unbridled power rushing through him was addictive; it consumed him and made him crave more. The more power he could have, the better. He could _rule_ with this!

He suddenly realized he was laughing and he clamped his jaws shut to stop it. He would _not_ end up like Vlad. This was to _help_ people! Danny stood, grasping his newfound power and shoving it down, keeping it at a low simmer for when he would need it. He first had to free the slaves in the mines. Then he could extract revenge on Vlad himself.

Danny took a moment to still his suddenly swimming head before phasing out of his room. Before, his powers had been quelled and trampled by Vlad and his annoying inventions, now they had free reign, breaking out of whatever confines they'd been placed under.

Floating silently and invisibly over to the mines, Danny carefully eyed his surroundings. Things had become so bleak now; everything appeared dead or dying and the buildings had collapsed for the most part.

Danny felt his heart grow heavy with sorrow. This was not the Amity Park he knew and loved; it was something darker and much worse.

Well, he'd fix that.

Arriving at the entrance to the mines, Danny let himself drop his invisibility, a grin slowly forming on his face. Those stupid guard ghosts had no idea what was coming for them. They had noticed him, their confused faces taking in his new accessories, and their brought their guns up. Foolish ghosts. Those guns would do nothing more than bounce harmlessly off his skin. They were not lethal in the least.

Unlike his own blasts. His own blasts were aimed and powered to kill. The ghosts guarding the mines had no chance as they burst into ectoplasmic dust. Danny's lips peeled back in a maniacal grin as he took out one ghost after another. They were nothing before him; their powers were not even blips in his senses anymore. They would all perish.

Finished with the mosquitoes, Danny quietly floated in, surveying the scene before him. Many of the slaves, former Caspar High students barely recognized him. They were so used to ghosts floating in and out that they didn't even look up from their duties. But some had seen what he'd done and looked up at him with both fear and awe.

Dash was one such individual. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape. It was a comical sight to behold, but Danny's mouth didn't even twitch. His eyes locked with Dash's and his mind raced through every instance that had passed between the two of them. Dash had been his bully and tormentor for years; he'd purposely shoved him into lockers, trashcans, toilets and anything smaller than his body should conform to. Danny had been relieved when he mastered intangibility, because it meant an easier time of getting out.

But now the roles were reversed. Dash was a slave and Danny could be either his savior or his undoing. And both boys knew it. Dash's piercing blue gaze was focused on Danny, and somehow the light in his eyes had stayed despite the trials he'd been through. Danny had to applaud him for that.

Still, the halfa was left struggling to remember that Dash was a victim in this. He wasn't an enemy, but someone he could use on his side. The Ring of Rage was battling his common sense, demanding Dash be made into a sacrifice. But Danny wouldn't allow it. Despite the jock's past, he was still a human. And he was still a victim.

Danny inclined his head to Dash in a small act of forgiving. He watched as Dash's dirty and drawn face lit up with the motion, the meaning conveyed more clearly than words alone. All was forgiven now, as all was in the past.

The Ring of Rage muttered and died down, lowering into a simmer in the back of his mind.

"Everyone!" Danny surprised himself at the sound of his voice. It was louder now, and seemed to shake him straight from inside. His core was reverberating it, flinging it out and through the mines, for all to hear. "I have freed you from your servitude!" When had he become so formal? Danny pushed the thought aside as he glanced at all the faces that were now looking at him.

"I simply request your aid in overthrowing the tyrant who had you enslaved!" The students of Caspar high were turning to look at one another, their faces mixtures of confusion and all out blank looks. Perhaps his words were a little _too_ formal for some. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I need your help to make sure Vlad can never again rise to power." He hadn't wanted to kill Vlad when he set out to do this. But now it seemed there was no other choice.

The Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire were demanding blood.

"Together we will rebuild Amity Park to the beauty it once possessed!" Slowly, cheers started up from the assembled crowds. It helped that he was Danny Phantom. A known, if not completely loved icon for Amity Park, but these people _believed_ in him. He was the reason they would possibly lay down their lives.

The power he held over them sent chills down his back. He could literally do _anything_ and they were all powerless to stop him. Danny took a deep breath, squelching the violent thoughts before pointing to the entrance to the mine. "Everyone should get out, _now_. Those who are willing to pick up a weapon and fight, gather out in front of the mines." It still surprised him how much his voice boomed.

Dash continued to hold his eye for several seconds and Danny found himself wanting to fidget uncomfortably. He wouldn't let in this time. He wasn't a scared teenager anymore. This was life or death and he would be King.

Dash finally looked away, his mouth curving in a smile. "You know, Fenton, you're not bad." He said quietly and Danny simply watched him, eyes distant as he thought. Quickly, Danny swept down deeper into the mine, searching each tunnel and the deepest depths, watching as the last stragglers made their way up and out.

Following them, Danny hovered at the entrance to the mines, watching the remaining civilians—the ones who were willing to fight alongside him as they turned their attention from the sunlight to him. Danny blinked, turning his attention to the mine before charging an ectoblast, holding it long enough to power it up, sending it out and collapsing the entrance to the mine.

As the symbol of their slavery was abolished, some of the remaining stragglers cheered while others simply crumpled, tears running down dirt streaked faces. Danny simply snorted before crossing his arms, floating over them. He was in complete control now. "Anyone who is willing and able to fight, may grab whatever weapon the ghosts dropped, or any form of stick or rock." He paused, glaring at the castle. "Anyone who offers resistance, whether or not they're human, is fair game. Attack at your leisure, but if they're trying to flee don't get in their way. Let them pass, even if they're ghosts. Not everything working for Vlad is there at their will."

He stopped, taking in the amount of determined faces compared to the amount of blank ones. He'd have to watch out for them; he wasn't sure they'd follow orders. They'd have to be disposed of when his reign came to fruition. "You—" he pointed a finger at Dash, "Are in charge of the ground attack. I'll handle Vlad. _Do not_ engage him. Avoid him at _all costs_." Vlad was _his _prey. His target and the destruction of that man was his responsibility alone.

Dash nodded before turning to the group of survivors on the ground, hurriedly shouting orders. Danny watched for a second before shrugging and flying up towards the castle. He would settle this now.

* * *

Landing in his old bedroom, Danny took a look around, half hoping he'd find Sam here. He needed to see her safely outside before he could end this. He was just about to give up and leave when the servants doors opened. "Danny?" Her voice filled the heavy silence, a welcome blessing in a bleak time.

"Sam…" His anger faded for a second, his eyes softening as he looked at her. He missed her, the Sam she _used_ to be.

"Danny, what are you going to do?" The question caught him off guard, and he paused, thinking about it. He didn't really _have_ a plan. He just knew he needed to get back at Vlad. He needed to pummel the guy into the ground and _beyond_.

"I'm going to get revenge." Danny finally replied clenching his fists. He saw a spark of fear in Sam's eyes and a pang of remorse tore through him. He didn't want her to be upset. "It'll be okay. I'm going to save us all. I promise." He reached over, his gloved hand barely brushing her cheek. "You'll see…"

Sam barely nodded, taking his hand in hers and holding it close, refusing to let him go. "I believe you," she murmured quietly and Danny smiled, glad she was opening up again. She'd been so closed off for so long that he had thought he'd never get her back.

He could see now that there was hope.

Danny pulled his hand away after a few minutes, smiling. "I'll be back. Stay here. You'll be safe here." It was an empty promise, but he had a gut feeling that the castle would be safe, for the most part. He at least wanted to get Vlad away from it to battle in the open. There were too many tricks and twists in the castle for it to be safe to battle here.

Gazing into Sam's eyes for one last minute, Danny turned himself invisible and phased through the floor. The rage from the ancient artifacts was stirring again and Danny felt his powers jump at the nudging. Oh _yes_. Vlad was going to pay.

An hour later found Danny hovering just outside of Vlad's room. He could sense the other halfa in there, and he was fighting with himself about barging in. Who knew what Vlad was doing in there? But his anger won over his common sense and he phased in through the door, finding Vlad fixing his suit, apparently just having gotten dressed for the day.

"Vlad!" Danny roared, throwing a plasmic blast at Vlad, who quickly erected a shield to stop it, even without turning to look at Danny. The shield shattered the moment the blast hit it. Vlad's jaw dropped and he turned to look at Danny, gasping when he saw what the younger hybrid was wearing.

"When did you get those!?" Vlad roared, changing to Plasmius with a flash of light. "Those are _mine_! You have no right to wear them!"

Danny didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear any of it. Here was the man who'd tortured him, degraded him and made him nothing more than his puppet. Here was the man who'd destroyed Amity Park and reduced it to rubble. He was going to _pay_.

With a scream that started as a hiss, Danny launched himself at Vlad, grabbing him around the waste and tossing the two of them outside. He hadn't even bothered to go intangible, preferring instead to use Vlad's body to burst through the back wall and into the open air.

"Have you gone mad!?" Vlad said, but his words rushed through Danny's brain like water through a sieve. He was beyond the point of caring now, and he just wanted to get this over with.

Danny started firing several ecto blasts, making sure to keep moving to try to mess up Vlad's aim. It worked to an extent, the older halfa floated and put up shields, each one weaker than the last. His eyes never strayed from Danny for more than a moment, and suddenly he had memorized the pattern Danny had tried hard not to fall into.

Vlad was on top of him quickly, aiming a blast to his head that was supposed to knock the crown off. If the artifacts were disrupted, so was the power. Vlad knew this quite well, but somehow Danny was able to dodge the attack. He was having none of this.

Quickly flipping over to face Vlad, Danny aimed and successfully hit Vlad in the face, disorienting the older halfa.

"Augh!" Vlad cried out, his hands gripping at his burning face. Using the distraction to the fullest, Danny quickly attacked Vlad ruthlessly. His blasts slowly forced the other hybrid out of the air, and Vlad eventually crashed into the ground. A large cloud of dust billowed out around him as Danny looked on, clenching and unclenching his fists. He was barely out of breath, and the two artifacts he wore pulsated slightly with his anger.

Once the dust cleared, he could see Vlad laying in the crater he'd made. His face was an ugly red, blistered and cracked, blood and other liquids oozing out of the open wounds. His left arm was hanging on by a tendon, blood seeping out of it at an alarming rate.

Black rings flickered at Vlad's waste, trying to turn him human. The man desperately clung to ghost form, but he ultimately lost the battle. The rings seemed smaller, as if they knew that this would be the last time he'd be able to use them. They slowly passed over Vlad's body, turning the man human again.

Danny grimly watched as Vlad's mouth opened in a scream. The burning from the ectoblasts had transferred over to his human form, causing him a grand amount of pain. The man twisted, writhing and gripping at first at his severed arm, and then at his face, trying to comfort both at the same time.

Danny landed a few feet away, looking down into Vlad's grave with a grim expression. "You brought this upon yourself." He said quietly, but for some reason, he knew his voice was well received.

"Please…" Vlad coughed, his blood stained right hand lifting to desperately grasp for him. "Daniel… h-help me…"

If Danny were in any control, he'd be sickened by what he'd done. Sickened by the amount of power the crown and ring had given him. Sickened that his ectoblasts could do _that_ much damage. But as it was, he simply raised his hand, pointing a finger down at Vlad. "Nighty night," He mocked quietly, before sending a sharp blast right through the center of Vlad's forehead.

Silence reigned for a few moments before cheers erupted.

People all around jumped and hollered for joy, glad to be finally free of Vlad's iron grip. Danny looked up sharply, his glowing red eyes narrowed with an emotion he couldn't quite place. He'd done what he sought out to do. He'd gotten rid of Vlad.

So why did he feel like this wasn't over yet?

And then it hit him, quite literally.

Danny took a step forward, the blast hitting him right in the back of the head. He almost stepped right into Vlad's grave, but stopped himself in time. _Who _had _dared _to attack him!?

Danny turned around and his eyes locked with those of Fright Knight.

"You…" He hissed, floating up several feet to glare at the knight. "You dare to attack me?"

The knight simply watched him, his horse snorting and flailing its head. Fright Knight turned his head. "My Master would like some words with you," He said simply.

Danny followed his gaze, the artifacts he was wearing causing his rage to double at the sight of the ghost floating before him.

Pariah Dark had come for the final say.

* * *

**A/N: **

there's actually a lot more I wanted to add into this chapter but i decided against it.

/rolls into the sun


	9. Chapter 9

They stared at each other for a long time. Prince and King, locked in a battle of the eyes. Only Fright Knight's Nightmare moved, tossing its head and snorting. Slowly the atmosphere tensed up and Danny's hands flickered to life with ectoplasmic energy.

Pariah Dark watched him carefully, knowing that with the relics Danny currently wore, he had more than enough power to successfully pummel him. But he wasn't worried. Between himself and Fright Knight, the boy would soon be dispatched. He might have been weakened without the relic's ancient power, but he was not a dead dog yet.

With the smallest twitch of his hand he sent a signal to Fright Knight. Nightmare reared, flailing its pointed hooves and sharp teeth before charging Danny.

Danny dodged, firing a blast at the horse as it went past. Nightmare kicked out as it flew past, turning and flapping its wings in anger. Fright Knight leaped off his horse, aiming his Soul Shredder at Danny who dodged nimbly, his fists flying and connecting with Fright Knight's middle.

The ghost let out a reflective gasp, even though there was no air in his lungs to lose. Danny let his power run out through his arm and into the other ghost, shocking him with a wave of power. Fright Knight backed off, clutching his Soul Shredder and glaring, keeping Danny's attention.

While Danny had been concentrated on Fright Knight, Pariah Dark came up behind him. The larger ghost hit Danny over the head, knocking him out of the sky and into the ground.

With a moan, the halfa struggled back to his feet. He _hated_ being thrown into the ground. Looking back up as he rubbed his sore ribs, Danny growled. Could he defeat two high level ghosts at once? He did have the power of the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, but with the two of them combined, he wasn't sure it'd be enough.

He had to chance it though. They were _not_ going to be taking over _his_ territory! He would get rid of them; he would attack them and drive them off. It'd taken him a long time to get this territory, and he wasn't going to roll over. Gathering his energy in his hands, he hurled it at the previous king.

It hit Pariah Dark right in the chest, knocking him back several feet. Danny then whirled around, prepared to fire at Fright Knight, only to find the ghostly knight no longer there. Instead, he was met with Nightmares flailing hooves, one of them catching him in the jaw and knocking him back down to the ground.

What startled Danny the most was the fact that suddenly Fright Knight stood above him. His armor glinted in the light from the sun and forced Danny to squint. The Soul Shredder was poised above him and as he lay in temporary shock, the tip of the blade made its way down in a slow arch to rest at Danny's neck.

Danny didn't move. He was frozen in place, knowing that at any second, Fright Knight could put the smallest amount of pressure on the Soul Shredder and open a gaping hole in his throat. He couldn't survive, even with the power from the artifacts.

His life was in his enemies hands.

Danny felt his powers squirming in him, demanding to be used. His fists blazed to life, the eerie green glow spreading slightly up his arms. Danny could hear the crunching footsteps that announced the arrival of Pariah Dark. He quickly transferred his glare from one ghost to the other.

"Pathetic." Pariah muttered, bending down and grabbing the crown off of Danny's head. Instantly the halfa felt weekend. The blood rushed from his head, his brain starting to swim as he became sickeningly light headed. Half of his power, stripped away like that. He felt weaker than a new born kitten. "You use my relics and yet you have no idea how to maintain their full potential." His heavy voice rumbled into the ground and it was all Danny could do not to snap at him.

He'd taken the crown. He was taking his power, and Danny was unable to do anything to stop it. This was an atrocity. He felt the power around his hands flicker and die, the amount of power he was drawing to maintain it was no longer available to him. He was in between a rock and a hard place, and he was not happy about it one bit. "Let me up." Danny demanded in a low voice. Pariah Dark rolled his good eye and shook his head.

"You've taken something that doesn't belong to you." Pariah Dark answered Danny, reaching down and grabbing the halfa by the wrist. Danny was about to lose all the power he'd borrowed. Everything that he'd worked for was going to be taken away. At the least he'd been able to get Vlad out of the way.

His stomach flipped when he thought about Vlad. Now that his powers were limited he was beginning to feel the pain of regret. His memories of the incident with Vlad were hazy, but they were starting to come back in sharp relief. His stomach twisted and bile rushed into his throat when he realized what he'd done. He'd killed Vlad. In cold blood.

Danny would have hurled if Pariah hadn't grabbed the ring off of his finger, sliding it off and inspecting it. "Now that I have my artifacts back we have no need for you." Danny had a second to gasp in breath before Pariah closed his giant hand around his neck, crushing his air pipe.

The ghost king lifted Danny up. Danny grasped at the ghosts hands, his gloves giving him no purchase as he struggled. Half ghost though he was, he still needed to breathe. Pariah held him out as he floated back into the air, inspecting him. "You see this?" Pariah no longer spoke to Danny, but he spoke to the mass of humans below him. Pariah's one good eye glared out over the masses as he held the halfa out. "This is your would-be king."

Fright Knight got on Nightmare, the ghostly horse rearing and flapping its bat like wings, making the humans huddle. They abandoned their struggle against their ghostly captors in favor of watching Pariah and their savior. Fright Knight rode Nightmare around the crowd, reigning them into a tight, fearful huddle.

"This is the ghost who thought he could rule." Pariah had no idea that Vlad had taken the artifacts, Danny realized as he struggled against the grip. He only saw Danny wearing them, and therefore Danny was the cause of this. "This is the ghost who thought he could take _my_ power." The hand tightened on Danny's neck and he gave a violent jerk. The pain was too much, his vision was blackening around the edges.

Below them, he thought he could hear someone start wailing and the noise sounded strangely like his mother's voice. But that couldn't be.

His mother didn't love him anymore.

Danny let out a strangled gasp as the hand continued to tighten around his neck. He felt his power flicker around his waist, threatening to change him back to Fenton. "Let this be a lesson." Pariah continued; his one eye turned to Danny, locking onto the boy's frightened green eyes. "And learn from this lesson that _no one_ can rule but me."

The hand tightened again and Danny felt a flash of white hot pain. He felt the rings appear around his waist and turn him human. He felt his body go numb starting from his feet and making its way quickly up to his head.

Pariah dropped him. Danny was paralyzed, his neck broken, and helpless to stop himself as he started a headlong fall to the ground, six feet below.

He saw, as he was falling, Sam leaning out of one of the windows in the castle, her mouth open wide in horror and he was dimly aware that she was screaming his name. As the angle of his fall changed, he was able to see the crowd of people he was rapidly falling towards, moving around like ants trying to get out of his way.

There was Dash, the man who'd bullied him for so long. He looked ragged, starved, and completely terrified. He knew that Danny had been their last hope. It was over now. He turned to Kwan, the two of them comforting each other as Danny fell.

He recognized others dotted throughout the crowd, other people from Caspar High. All of them looked haunted and traumatized beyond belief.

The ground rushed up to meet him, the hard soil a loving embrace that cushioned his fall, and made his broken body tangle. Someone rushed up to him, but his eyes were already foggy, starting to glaze over. "…_ny_."

His head hurt. His head hurt so much, he just wanted to let go. "_…anny!"_ He forced his eyes to focus, the pain was almost unbearable at this point. He sensed more than felt someone put his head on their lap. He sensed a hand against his cheek, a thumb moving against his lips. "_Danny…_" The words were penetrating the fog and he struggled to focus.

It was his mother. She was holding him again, making sure he was comfortable. There were tears in her eyes; the droplets sparkling as they fell and landed somewhere on his own body. Her face was streaked with dirt and blood. Some ectoplasm mixed in somewhere and Danny wondered if it was his.

Why was she holding him? She hated him. But she was here anyway and he tried to force his lips to turn into a smile.

Maddie said something, but his mind was too far away to hear what it was. Her tears were enough. She cared, if only a little. Danny let out a sigh, finally letting go.

Now was the time for peace.

* * *

Maddie had fought against the ghosts, just like Phantom had told her to. She wasn't going to let him rule as Vlad had, but if he was able to get Vlad out of power, then so be it.

She and the others had fought valiantly against their ghostly captors. They refused to be stopped, continuing to come after them, but even the searing heat from their ectoblasts couldn't stop the determined humans.

She shouted orders, pointing people to where they needed to be. Where they needed to fight. She was glad that she'd kept up her black belt training in secret. It certainly came in handy here.

She would make sure that these ghosts went _down_.

She knew that Phantom now had the artifacts that Vlad loved. She knew that with those artifacts, Phantom should have enough power to take Vlad down and save them from the tyranny. She could hear the battle over her head, the fighting and the explosions caused by two different energies hitting each other.

She didn't want either to win, didn't want a ghost to claim the territory as their own, but if she had to vote for one, she'd have to vote for Phantom. She hoped that the creature that had been her son still had some shred of humanity in him.

Maddie felt the ground shake as Vlad was launched into it. She heard the groan of the earth as it heaved up and saw Phantom lower down, his eyes now a deadly red as he watched Vlad. She knew what was coming and she turned away. She didn't want to see Phantom kill Vlad.

"Nighty night." The words were said with no emotion. It made a cold shiver run down her spine, her eyes widened when she heard the faint pop that she assumed was Vlad's head exploding.

She took a breath. These creatures were ghosts and did not need her sympathy. They didn't deserve it, or any other emotion she could muster. So she continued to fight.

The next thing she knew, there were two other ghosts and Phantom was being attacked by both. A part of her twisted with worry and she didn't understand it. Phantom had betrayed her. He had taken her son from her and had caused this whole mess. She shouldn't feel _worry_ of all things. This was just unlike her.

She was soon hit from behind and she had to turn to concentrate on fighting the ghost guards. Even with their master dead they still fought on valiantly.

Soon though, she realized it was a losing battle. The ghosts had regrouped, forming a tight ring around the human rebels. They were tightening the ring, forcing the humans together.

She could only assume they wanted them to watch the fight between Phantom and Pariah Dark.

So she did. Maddie turned her gaze skyward and watched as they fought. She watched with horror as the two new ghosts double teamed Phantom, fighting him to the ground and taking the ancient relics from him. It was all she could do not to scream.

But when Pariah grabbed Danny by the throat, she felt herself lose control of the hard shell she'd put on her emotions. "_Danny!_" She screamed, fighting the crowd to get to the front, where the ghost guards stopped her. She had to get to him. He had tried hard to help them. He fought, just like Danny always had.

She felt her eyes swell with tears as her heart ripped in half. She could see his struggles growing weaker and she knew that ghost or no ghost, he still needed air. He was still half human. She felt disgusted with herself. She'd treated her _son_ like a piece of ectoplasmic trash. She'd done this to him. She'd caused this.

Danny was losing the fight, and it was _her_ fault.

She heard Pariah's speech, but it didn't register. She didn't care to listen hard anyway. She just knew that her little boy was in trouble.

But she was too late.

Pariah closed his fist and she heard a sickening crack. She saw the white light pass over Phantoms body and she saw the jumpsuit be replaced for familiar jeans and a familiar shirt. A wail started in her throat and escalated in volume. Pariah dropped her sons limp body and she watched it fall. "_DANNY!_"

She broke through the circle of guards and didn't notice as Fight Knight rode closer to her, she didn't care. All she could see was Danny making impact with the unforgiving earth.

His body was bent at odd angles, his limbs limp and splayed out as if the puppeteer had just dropped him haphazardly. "Danny!" She said again, clutching at his head and pulling it onto her lap. "Danny, can you hear me?" She moved black hair out of his face, brushed her thumb against the blood leaking from his mouth.

His eyes terrified her. The blue that was once so bright and full of life and wonder were now foggy and clouded, they were so distant that she wasn't even sure he was still alive. But then they moved and Maddie almost broke into sobs. Danny was still alive, even if he were holding on by a thread.

"Oh, Danny…" She whispered, her tears falling and splashing on his face. Not that he seemed to mind. She saw his face twitch, his lips breaking into tiny spasms, and she guessed his end was near. "I'm so sorry…" she murmured, trying her best to make him comfortable, unsure if he could still feel anything. "I'm so sorry for how I've treated you."

Danny's eyes were dimming, but they were still focused on her. She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but she had to try. "I love you, Danny, I've always loved you. I'm so—so sorry…" Sobs wracked her body, she wanted him to know how much she loved him. How sorry she was.

But his eyes unfocused, the last of the light inside of them flickering out as his head went limp in her lap.

Her Danny was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** There's still an epilogue to go.

I know this wasn't next on the roster but I wanted to get it out haha


	10. Epilogue

The tower hadn't been that far away from the battle field. As such, she'd seen it all. She had seen every hit, every blow and every move that Danny had made. Sam watched in horror as Danny killed Vlad, and cheered when he seemed to have the upper hand against Pariah and the Fright Knight.

Now, however, she was watching in horror as Pariah held Danny above the crowd. "This is the ghost who thought he could rule." Sam's ears starting ringing and her heart rate picked up. She could see Danny scrambling against the hand around his neck. She could see the panic in his face, even from this distance. She didn't know what to do or say that would make this better. "This is the ghost who thought he could take _my_ power."

Sam shook her head. Danny _hadn't_ thought that! It was Vlad—Vlad had wanted those powers. Vlad had stolen the crown and ring and had used them against humanity. She wanted to say as much. She wanted to be her old self, the strong and confident Sam who would have never let this happen. But as it was, she could only watch in horror as everything played out. "Let this be a lesson. And learn from this lesson that _no one_ can rule but me."

Sam heard Danny's neck snap from where she stood. She leaned out the window, watching in horror as the now human boy fell limply from Pariah's hold. He was heading head first to the ground. "Danny!" She screamed, leaning out the window and watching him fall. "Danny _no!_"

How could this have happened!? He was _Danny Phantom!_ There was nothing that could stop him! He was a hero!

She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as she climbed onto the ledge of the window. She told herself it was to get a better view. To see what happened. She knew she was lying.

Pariah was talking again. He was ranting about how this was the new order. That he was the new ruler. Sam wasn't listening. Her eyes drifted over the crowd of cowed and terrified people. She watched Maddie run up to Danny, could hear her apologies. Sam knew it was enough. Danny would forgive her. He always forgave her.

Pariah sent a warning blast at Maddie, trying to force her away from the fallen prince. But she wouldn't budge. She was screaming her sorrow, sobbing that it wasn't fair. That Danny shouldn't have been taken. Sam turned her tear stained face away.

She couldn't live like this. There was no Danny. Pariah Dark was going to rule. He would be a worse King than Vlad.

Her body went numb. She couldn't handle this anymore. Taking a deep breath and sending out a silent plea of forgiveness, Sam closed her eyes and walked forward off of the window ledge.

She pretended she was flying in Danny's arms as she fell. She pretended that everything was alright. The fall killed her instantly, she knew. But somehow she was still flying. She pretended that the warm presence next to her was Danny.

She was happy now.

* * *

And that's how it all played out. Clockwork turned away from his viewing portal as the screen cracked. The glass shattered and the mist that swirled inside was released to the air. That time line had come to pass, and that timeline had now finished. The viewing portal had broken because it was the end of humanity. The ghosts would rule and the humans would die, but it was not the only outcome available.

Behind him, he could hear the Observants ranting about some thing or another. Probably Dan Phantom again, but Clockwork didn't really care. He never listened to them anyways. He turned his tired eyes towards another viewing screen.

This portal showed a battle. Danny Phantom was fighting some feral ghosts. Though the halfa didn't know it, there was a news van parked nearby that had gotten footage of his transformation. Clockwork knew that that footage would be the end of Danny.

He watched this one in rapt interest. If this timeline played out the same as the other he'd just finished watching, then that time line would come to pass. If there was _one_ small difference, if the Wind came from the North instead of the West, or if Danny was punched to the left instead of the right, then maybe things would change.

Clockwork knew what was going to happen. It was very _very_ rare that he was caught off guard; though it was not unheard of. "Are you _listening_, Clockwork?" He chose to ignore the Observants, watching carefully as a stray ectoblast flew towards the news van.

A smug smile grew on Clockwork's lips. This was how it was supposed to be. He watched as the blast hit the van's engine, causing the whole vehicle to go up in a massive ball of fire. He knew that the two news reporters inside –one an intern and the other days away from retirement—had died instantly in the inferno, taking Danny's secret with them.

He knew this would cause trouble for this time line's Danny. He knew that Danny would blame himself for their deaths and quite possibly go into a severe depression. But he also knew that it was much better than what had already happened. He knew that Danny would rather it be this way. Would have rather lost two humans than his whole family.

But the boy would never listen to that reasoning.

So Clockwork turned away from the screen, not watching as Danny found the van and the charred bodies inside. "I'm listening," the Master of Time muttered angrily. The Observants were so impatient.

"It did not seem like it, Clockwork. You know this is dreadfully important." The time controlling ghost merely chuckled.

"Every moment in time is important," He muttered, twirling his staff in his fingers impatiently. "Everything is done for a reason. For a lesson." Behind him he could hear Danny's wail of terror and sadness, and he smiled to himself.

Danny would not have to go through that horrible time line. His secret was safe until he chose to release it. Any time line where Danny willingly chose to tell his family was one where he was safe. If his secret was revealed forcibly, or by someone else's intervention, Danny was in danger.

An Observant huffed. Clockwork was a constant headache for them, but it wasn't like they could just _fire_ him. "We have to talk about Dan Phantom—"

"Really?" Clockwork was exasperated. "Is there nothing else we can talk about?"

"Well we _could_ talk about that time line you just let happen—"

"I did not _let_ it happen. It _had_ to happen." Clockwork corrected patiently. It was like dealing with children.

"You _had_ to let those innocents die?"

"It prevented Dan Phantom didn't it?" The Observants paused, looking at one another and exchanging silent messages that Clockwork really didn't care to decode. As long as Dan Phantom was prevented, the Observants didn't really care about much else. They pretended they did, however.

"We suppose but—"

"No buts." Clockwork grinned when he saw how frustrated he was making his 'bosses'. They did not like being interrupted. "Dan Phantom was prevented, and that was the only task I was assigned. The boy is my responsibility, remember? This is what happened. He might not have survived it, but there was no chance of him becoming Dan Phantom."

The Observants narrowed their eye, studying Clockwork, trying to figure out how they could get around this and yell at the time ghost. "He was still—"

"No." Clockwork waved a hand. "It was prevented. Besides." He waved at the new time line, speeding it up to show them that nothing bad happened in it. "It did not come to pass after all."

Giving up, the Observants hounded him with questions about this new time line, mentioning how something could happen that would upset the whole balance, but Clockwork merely shrugged it off. He had no time for their petty arguing.

Eventually, the ghosts left. Clockwork sighed and turned back to his portal. "Everything is how it should be." He sped up the screen, leaping it ahead decades. He watched Danny hold his first born child, kissing Sam on the forehead as he rocked the baby.

Clockwork smiled, everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
